A New Era Begins

“Man your ships, and may the Force be with you!”
–General Dodonna, Star Wars: A New Hope

It is a period of civil war. Across the galaxy, brave Rebel pilots strike out against the tyranny of the Galactic Empire, engaging swarms of Imperial starfighters in tense ship-to-ship combat. Meanwhile, on the fringes of the conflict, notorious criminals, pirates, and bounty hunters scour the stars in search of ways to extract a profit from both sides. New aces emerge alongside some of the Star Wars galaxy’s best pilots, and now you have the chance to earn your reputation as a crack fighter pilot. A new era of thrilling starfighter battles has arrived. The X-Wing™ Second Edition Core Set (and fourteen expansions) are now available!

Order your own copy of X-Wing Second Edition at your local retailer or online through our website today!

X-Wing Second Edition gives you the chance to assemble your squadron, hop into the cockpit of some of the most iconic fighters from the Star Wars saga, and engage in frantic space battles on your tabletop. During every game, you’ll plot your ships’ maneuvers, making split-second decisions as you fly into the chaos of a space battle. You’ll take advantage of every ship and every pilot’s unique capabilities to gain an advantage over your opponent. And you’ll make use of several upgrades and choose your special weapons as you strategically position your ships to launch devastating attacks. Man your ships and take command of your squadron!

What's more, you can start building your very own squadrons today! Click here to visit the X-Wing squad builder web interface, and look for the mobile app versions coming soon for iOS and Android.

The Next Evolution

Since our announcement, we’ve gotten a glimpse at every aspect of X-Wing Second Edition, from breaking down every part of gameplay to examining just what makes every ship utterly unique. We kicked off our series of previews by taking a closer look at how movement has been refined from the first edition, placing greater emphasis on the physical act of flying starships. While players still secretly choose maneuvers for each of their ships at the top of a round, X-Wing Second Edition rewards players for getting enemy ships in their sights.

One of the most dramatic changes is the inclusion of a bullseye arc printed inside every ship’s front arc. While this arc has no inherent effect, some card abilities refer to it, unlocking new opportunities for ace pilots who can line up the perfect shot. A pilot who displays a high degree of
Marksmanship,
for example, can hit an enemy ship where it really hurts, changing a hit to a critical hit while attacking. The best pilots will anticipate their opponent’s movements, opening up opportunities to squeeze off a few shots while avoiding return fire.

The T-65 X-wing has the TIE/ln fighter in its bullseye arc, so it can use Marksmanship to turn one of its hits to a critical hit!

Next, we looked at the different actions you can take in the heat of battle. From lending your ship an extra burst of maneuverability to enhancing the power of a future attack, the actions you pair with your maneuvers form a fundamental part of your strategy. Each type of ship has a unique action bar that defines the actions it can take, and X-Wing Second Edition makes a number of adjustments to how these actions work. Among other things, some ships now give you the option to link two actions together into a powerful combination—at the cost of incurring stress.

The ultimate point of taking actions is to give yourself an advantage in combat, of course, and our next preview covered the nuances of engaging with enemy ships. In addition to the unique actions and maneuvers available to individual ships, X-Wing Second Edition also introduces another strategic layer that select pilots can take advantage of: the Force. This energy source binds the Star Wars galaxy together and pilots like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader can use it to enhance the performance of their starfighters. At the very least, these pilots can spend their Force charges to change a single focus result to a hit or evade. But you can also equip your Force-sensitive pilots with certain upgrade cards to unlock even more of their potential. A pilot might display
Supernatural Reflexes,
for example, to barrel roll or boost before they activate, giving them greater freedom over their final position.

While Luke Skywalker is being attacked, he uses one of his Force charges to change a focus to an evade.

Before you even begin selecting maneuvers or choosing actions, your strategy will be defined by the ships, pilots, and upgrades you choose for your squadron. In our preview of squad building, we explored the different ways that you can create and customize your own squadron of starfighters. Between the Core Set, Conversion Kits, and ship expansions available at launch, you can outfit your ships with a wide variety of upgrades, including torpedoes, cannons, astromech droids, and other modifications.

From the very beginning, you’ll have two options for putting these pieces into a squadron. You can jump into the action right away by using the Quick Build cards included in the Core Set and ship expansions. These cards offer predefined combinations of pilots and upgrades, with a threat level that represents the approximate strength of that combination. To play, players choose combinations totaling eight threat, construct their squadron, and start to play! Additionally, the Quick Build cards make it easy for you to play a simple escalation variant, choosing ships with greater threat as your ships are destroyed.

If you want even more control over your squadron, you can use the X-Wing squad builder on the web or your mobile device to create a custom squadron using squad points! The squad builder tracks the upgrade slots available for each of your ships, as well as the point cost of ship and upgrade cards, allowing you to quickly and easily construct a legal squadron. These points list are also available through our website and will be updated as new ships are released—keep checking our website for more articles on X-Wing Second Edition expansions. You can access the X-Wing squad builder online here! (Look for the downloadable squad builder as an app for iOS and Android releasing soon.)

Begin Your Attack

The tyranny of the Galactic Empire is spreading across the galaxy, but hope is not so easily extinguished. The heroic pilots of the Rebel Alliance are ready to take to their fighters and push back against the might of the Empire. The fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance. Get to your fighters and enter the next evolution of starfighter combat!

Pick up your copy of the X-Wing Second Edition Core Set (SWZ01) at your local retailer or online through our webstore today! Then, find the perfect expansions to supplement your squadrons and build the squad that fits your style.

X-Wing Second Edition is a tactical game of ship-to-ship combat, challenging players to take control of powerful starfighters and face off against each other in fast-paced space combat. Featuring stunningly detailed and painted miniatures, X-Wing Second Edition recreates the most exciting space battles of the Star Wars saga. Select your crew, plan your maneuvers, and open fire!